Filing-cabinet.



A. I. WATSON.

FILING CABINET.

APPLICATION mso APR. 24. I9I5.

1,21 1,798. Patented Jan. 9,1917.

4 74 Z v 2 SHEETSSHEET l.

WitnessesW z lentor Attorney;

A. J. WATSON.

FILING CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED APR.24. I915.

1,21 1,798. Patented Jan. 9,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' Attorneys tions; Fig. 7

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Arne A OFFICE.

ARTHUR JOHN WATSON, OF LONDON ONTARIO, CANADA.

FILING-CABINET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

Application filed April 24, 1915. Serial No. 23,778.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR J. WATSON, a

subject of the King of England, residing at London, in the county ofMiddlesex, Province of Ontario, and Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and useful Filing- Cabinet, of which the following is a specification.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is a cabinet adapted to be employed in connection with business account systems and under other conditions provide a device of thetype above mentioned in which a tilting main tray is so mounted in the body portion of the cabinet that an auxiliary tray may be removably placed in the body of the cabinet below or beneath the main tray.

The invention aims to improve the construction of the trays and to improve generally devices of that type to which the present invention appertains;

With the above andother objects in view which Will. appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made with in the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 shows the invention in front elevation, partsbeing broken away; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section in a plane at right angles to the back of the cabinet; Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross section on the line v3--3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 44: of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a fragmental perspective showing a portion of the main tray, the view depicting the means whereby the partitions are held in place; Fig. 6 is a detail perspective showing one of the partiis a perspective showing the.

auxiliary tray. Fig. 8 is a plan of the holder or receptacle.

In carrying out the present invention there 1s provided a case denoted generally by the numeral 1, the same comprising a bottom 2, aback 3, a top 4-, side walls 5 and a forwardly disposed platform 6 arranged in an approximately horizontal position. The side walls 5 are forwardly extended adjacent their lower ends as shown at 7, and it is with the extensions 7 that the platform 6 is terminally connected. The platform 6 may be used as a desk.

The extensions 7 of the side walls 5, the platform 6 and the bottom 2 define a compartment in the lower, forward portion of the case 1, the compartments being denoted by the numeral 8 and receiving slidably a drawer 9 provided with a handle 10 of any desired sort. A skilled mechanic having before him the present disclosure, will be capable of replacingthe single drawer 9 by two or more, if desired.

The invention comprises an auxiliary tray 11 shown in Fig. 7. The auxiliary tray 11 may be of any desired form and may embody any desired number of compartments. In the present. instance but not of necessity, the tray ll is depicted as comprising a box 12 and a transverse partition 14, the partition 1 1 being notched as shown at 15 to receive the front wall of the box. The tray 11 is adapted to be placed in the lower rear portion ofthe case 1, and to facilitate the handling of the tray, the partition 14 may be provided with any-desirednumber of finger holes 16, or other equivalent handle-forming means.

As one element of the invention there is provided a main tray 17 mounted to tilt forwardly and rearwardly as -will be un derstood from Fig; 2. The main tray 17 comprises sides 18, a front and lower wall 19 and a rear or upper wall 20. The rear wall 20 is disposedat an acute angle to the upper edges of the sidesl8 and the front wall 19 is disposed at an acute angle to the lower edges of the sides, as will be understood clearly from Fig. 2, the main tray being adapted to be swung rearwardly, so that the rear of upper wall 20 or some part thereof lies against the back 3 of the case, the walls 19 and20 under such circumstances being vertically disposed, and the sides 18 of the main tray slanting rearwardly so that these elements will be housed between the side walls 5 of the case 1.

Secured to the sides 18 of the main tray 17 adjacent the upper edges of the sides are retaining strips 21. An intermediate retaining strip 22 is terminally connected to the rear wall 20 and to the front wall 19. In the lower edges of the strips 21 and 22, notches 23 are formed, as shown to best advantage in Fig. 5. The upper edges of the strips 22 and 21 may be shod with U-shaped finishing plates 25, preferably fashioned from metal. Secured'to the sides 18 of the tray 17 near to the lower edges of the sides are retaining strips 24;.

' The invention includes a plurality of an,-

gular partitions one of which is shown in Fig. 6. The partitions 26 preferably are fashioned from metal and each partition is provided along its lower edge with a forwardly presented lip 27. The upper edges of the. partitions 26 are received in the notches 23. of. the retaining strips 21 and 22, the angles 28 between the body portions of the partitions and the lips 27 resting on the lowerretaining strips 24:, the lip 27 of each partition 26 being extended forwardly into abutment with the next partition in front,

.abl'y with a support or rod 32 terminally mounted in the extensions 7 of the side walls 5 and located slightly above the desk platform 6. The lower, front wall of the main tray 17 is provided with a handle 33 and a handle 3 1 is mounted on the upper, rear wall 20.

Automatic stops 35 are provided, the same being in the form of rigid bars, pivotallv supported intermediate their ends as indicated at 35 on the sides 5 of the case 1. The rear or inner ends of the stops 35 are 7 counterweighted as shown at 85", and these of the case.

counterweighted ends are adapted at times to rest on abutments 35 carried by the sides Adjustable stops 36 are provided, for the purpose of limiting the rearward swinging movement of the main tray 17, the stops 36 being provided with longitudinal slots- 37 through which pass securing elements38 entering the sides 5 of the case 1. r

If desired, a lid 39, may be provided'for dust'and dirt into the tray'compartments de- -means of the securing elements 38.

fined by the partitions 26. The lid 39 preferably is detachable and is not hingedly mounted.

The cabinet herein disclosed is adapted to contain materials of widely different sorts, and since a filing cabinet cannot be characterized patentably by any specific form of business system, an extended description in this regard is not necessary. However, it-

may be stated that the compartments defined by the partitions 26 may contain holders hereinafter described and indexed to contain account slips or other'material, the tray 11 being adapted to receive data relative to past due accounts and the like.

When the main tray 17 is swung rear-.

weighted end of the stop 35 drops down onto the abutment 35 further tilting movement of the stop thus being prevented. The tray 17 then engages with the forward end of the stop 35, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and a further forward tilting or swinging movement of the main tray is prevented. The main tray 17, when in the dotted line position of Fig. 2 gives access to the tray 11, and during the above mentioned pivotal movement of the main tray 17 the hooks 31 and the supporting rod 32 serve to support the tray 17 pivotally.

1 The main tray 17 may be swung rearwardly into the case 1 and under such circumstances, the rear wall 20 comes into contact with the back 3 of the case 1. However, if it is desired to maintain the main tray 17 at a more acute angle with respect to the vertical,-the adjustable stops 36 may be advanced into the adjusted positions by This tilting ofthe maintray 17 is desirable at times in order that light may fall more directly on the holders in the compartments definedby the partitions 26; in order that the contents of the tray may be readily accessible to'persons of different statures and of different arm lengths, and for many otherreaso'ns which will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

' The handles 34 and 33 may be employed for lifting the main tray 17 bodily out of the case 1, to the end that the main tray may be placed in a safe. Fora like purpose and for other purposes, the auxiliary tray 11 x V may be lifted out of the case 1. the purpose of preventing V the entrance of i The holder or receptacle hereinbefore alluded to may comprise as shown in Fig. 8,

v two foldable wings 70 and a connection 71 therebetween. One wing at 72 may be provided with spaces for name and addresses, and the other wing may carry at 73 suitable means for retaining books, slips etc. of standard or special forms.

3 Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is l. A case comprising a back, side walls and a bottom; a compartment upstanding from the bottom at the front of the case; a removable auxiliary tray located in the angle defined by the bottom and the back; a main tray pivoted to the case at the front of the auxiliary tray and at a distance above the lower end of the main tray, the lower end of the main tray being of acutely angular form to permit said end to move between the compartment and the auxiliary tray when the upper end of the main tray is swung forwardly and rearwardly, the upper end of the main tray being adapted to coact with the back to limit the rearward swinging movement of the upper end of the main tray.

2. A case comprising a back, side walls and a bottom; a compartment upstanding from the bottom at the front of the case; a removable auxiliary tray located in the angle defined by the bottom and the back; a main tray pivoted to the case at the front of the auxiliary tray and at a distance above the lower end of the main tray, the lower end of the main tray being of acutely angular form to permit said end to move between the compartment and the auxiliary tray when the upper end of the main tray is swung forwardly and rearwardly; and a stop carried by one of the side walls and adapted to co act with the main tray to limit the rearward swinging movement of the upper end thereof, the stop being adjustable to vary the space between the upper end of the main tray and the back.

3. In a device of the class described, a case; and a tray movably mounted on the case, the tray comprising side walls, upper strips assembled with the side walls and having notches; partitions having their upper edges received in the notches, each partition being provided with aforwardly extended lip abutting against an adjoining partition; and lower strips applied to the side walls, the lower strips engaging the partitions at the angles defined by the lips and the body portions of the partitions, to hold the upper edges of the partitions assembled with the notches.

4c. In a device of the class described, a case; an abutment thereon; a stop pivotally supported on the case and adapted to engage the abutment; and a tray mounted to swing in the case, the stop being movable by contact with the tray when the tray is swung inwardly, and cooperating with the abutment and the tray when the tray is swung outwardly, thereby to limit the outward swing ing movement of the tray.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR JOHN WATSON.

Witnesses D. MCNAUGHTON, SUSAN Emno'rrr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

